Ladyman’s Restaurant, Tradition, and Honest Graft
This HT Story on the closing of a landmark local restaurant to make room for a new office building illustrates a crucial political cleavage: between people who like tradition, and people who like money. It’s an interesting cleavage locally. On the one side are the right wing of the Republican party–evangelicals and other traditionalists— and the left wing of the Democratic party— romantics and socialists. On the other side are the middle wings of both parties— the people who put energy into running the town and real estate developers.
Ladyman’s Cafe owner Dana Reynolds cried Wednesday as she discussed possibly closing the longtime restaurant.
In March, owner Jim Regester sold the property from 118 to 124 E. Kirkwood Ave., as well as 108 to 110 S. Washington St., to Walnut Street Development of Bloomington for $1 million.
The company, part of Heartland Development Group, has not determined what will happen with the property, but Reynolds has already been told her lease won’t be renewed at the end of the year.
“We feel kind of betrayed because we’re not going to be able to keep up a Bloomington tradition,” Reynolds said.
John Fernandez, president of Heartland, said ideas being discussed include using the site for a new office building for Finelight Strategic Marketing Communications….
City of Bloomington Economic Development director Ron Walker said the city has talked to Finelight a few times. With 150 employees, Walker said “they’re a very important downtown employer.”…
“We want to accommodate our largest downtown employer,” Walker said. “It doesn’t say we don’t place importance on each one of those tenants as well.”
Fernandez was senior vice president at Finelight from November 2003 until April 2006, when he joined Heartland. He previously served as mayor of Bloomington from 1996 to 2003….
Reynolds said she runs a family business and doesn’t have the money to find a new location, relocate and remodel.
When Ladyman’s was closed due to a recent fire, Reynolds said she heard rumors about the building. A day before reopening, she received a letter advising her that rent checks should be sent to Heartland. She also received a letter from Regester, thanking her for being a good tenant.
“But we’re not just talking about a tenant; we’re talking about 50 years,” Reynolds said.
Upset that no one contacted her, Reynolds called Fernandez to learn more about the change. She also tried calling Regester, but to no avail.
“Regester will not even return my phone calls,” she said….
Ladyman’s has been at the same spot at 122 E. Kirkwood Ave. since 1957. A celebration was planned for next year to mark the restaurant’s 50-year anniversary.
As described in the story above, there is no element of government involvement– no subsidies or changing of zoning. Thus, even if you don’t like eliminating Ladyman’s, you must admit that it is the landowner’s legal right to do so, whatever Ladyman’s value to the city and other people who don’t own the property. It will be interesting, though, to see if rumors are true that the outside parking lot near Ladyman’s is going to be turned into a city-paid-for parking garage. If so, then given the important positions of Mr. Fernandez and Mr. Regester with the local Democratic party, we must be bound to think of George Washington Plunkitt’s famous description of “honest graft” in
Plunkitt of Tammany Hall
Yes, many of our men have grown rich in politics. I have myself. I’ve made a big fortune out of the game, and I’m gettin’ richer every day, but I’ve not gone in for dishonest graft-blackmailin’ gamblers, saloonkeepers, disorderly people, etc.-and neither has any of the men who have made big fortunes in politics.
There’s an honest graft, and I’m an example of how it works. I might sum up the whole thing by sayin’: “I seen my opportunities and I took ‘em.”
Just let me explain by examples. My party’s in power in the city, and it’s goin’ to undertake a lot of public improvements. Well, I’m tipped off, say, that they’re going to lay out a new park at a certain place.
I see my opportunity and I take it. I go to that place and I buy up all the land I can in the neighborhood. Then the board of this or that makes its plan public, and there is a rush to get my land, which nobody cared particular for before.
Ain’t it perfectly honest to charge a good price and make a profit on my investment and foresight? Of course, it is. Well, that’s honest graft.
There’s a fine line between legitimately making money from the public information and the practical experience one gains by getting involved in local politics and making use of private tip-offs as GW Plunkitt describes. Plunkitt’s book makes a lot of the point that a good way to get people to help the community is to reward them for their help. That’s quite right, and the material reward is going to be in business, not in a city salary. But it has to be managed carefully.